Simulations of software applications are typically created by running special programs referred to as simulation generation software. The simulation generation software is designed to monitor a simulation developer's interaction with another application, e.g., target software, and the changes that result from those interactions. For example, the simulation generation software records a stream of images and events, similar to a movie, of the interactions between the target software and the developer. These interactions can then be replayed to simulate the target software in order to teach a user specific features of the target software.
Like a movie, the initial simulation is a single path of execution, in which the flow of events follows one possible path through the target software. By way of illustration, a developer may wish to simulate a copy and paste operation for a word processing application. In this example, the developer may perform the following operation, in a single path flow:
(i) Highlight a specific word or words;
(ii) Click on “Edit” and scroll to and highlight “Copy”;
(iii) Move the cursor to a desired location; and
(iv) Click on “Edit” and scroll to and highlight “Paste”.
During these operations, the simulation generation software will record these actions in a single path, for future playback. Once recorded, the information will be presented to a student, as a simulation, in a single simulation path. In this manner, the student can perform the simulated operations, along with the simulation generation software.
A more sophisticated type of simulation is one with multi-path execution. In this more sophisticated simulation the users of the simulation are allowed to take more than one path of execution through the simulation. Typically, this is referred to as multi-path simulations, which contain options at specific junctions in the simulation that permit branching to a different section of the simulation thereby mimicking a different path in the target software.
By way of example, using the same copy and paste illustration, it is known that there are several different ways in which to accomplish this operation. For example, in addition to the above, the developer may wish to teach the following operation:
(i) Highlight a specific word or words;
(ii) Depress the “Ctrl” and “C” buttons on the keyboard;
(iii) Move the cursor to a desired location; and
(iv) Depress the “Ctrl” and “P” buttons on the keyboard.
However, to generate the multi-path simulation, two or more single path simulations must be manually combined. That is, in the illustrated example, the two simulations must be combined with a branching occurring between the (i) and (ii) operations. Branching to the different sections of the simulation must be manually added to the simulation stream, which is time consuming and tedious. This includes, for example, editing and/or erasing operations, which were recorded when returning back to a beginning point of the two simulations.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficiencies and limitations described hereinabove.